Techniques Monthly Electronic Newsletter
January 2010
2009 Salary Trends of the Ophthalmic Technical Team
Lynn D. Anderson, PhD, & William H. Ehlers, MD, JCAHPO
Salary and benefit expenses are one of a business’s largest operating costs, and compensation trends are of great interest and concern in today’s economic climate. Every two years, the Association of Technical Personnel in Ophthalmology (ATPO) conducts a comprehensive national ophthalmic medical personnel (OMP) salary and benefits study. The latest study was conducted in June and July of 2009, and ATPO published its results in October. ATPO’s research is the only salary study in which the respondents are job incumbents reporting their actual wages. (Most other studies are completed by other individuals on behalf of clinic employees or are supervisors reporting their employees’ salary and compensation.) This article will discuss ATPO’s recent research data and results.
Overview and Methodology
ATPO has studied OMP salary and benefits trends since 2000. These personnel are invited to participate in the survey through personal letters, postcards and newsletters. The current study encompassed a population of 25,416 certified and noncertified OMP from both ATPO’s database and that of the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO). A total of 2,339 individuals (9 percent of those invited) completed the online survey.
The survey report details compensation that includes salary, fees, bonuses, fringe benefits, severance payments and deferred compensation. The compensation section provides statistics on hourly wages and annual salaries. In addition, the report describes the benefits received, but not their value as part of the total compensation package. Because some OMP receive an annual salary and others are paid an hourly rate, the samples for the two groups were analyzed as two separate and distinct populations. That is, average figures for hourly compensation cannot be “annualized” to calculate the average salary, and vice versa. The study also reports demographic characteristics and other comparative data.
The research primarily reports results on certified OMP, who were the majority of respondents. In ATPO’s previous salary and benefits study, JCAHPO’s certification levels were used to stratify the data. JCAHPO’s three core levels are Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA), Certified Ophthalmic Technician (COT) and Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technologist (COMT). ATPO’s current study reports the average salary for each level of JCAHPO certification in relationship to nine practice variables: metropolitan size, geographic region, education level, supervisory position, practice setting, practice subspecialty, number of ophthalmologists in the practice, number of years the respondent has been in ophthalmology, and international geographical location.
Demographics
Eighty-six percent of the respondents were employed full time and 12 percent were employed part time (2 percent no response). Survey respondents were primarily female (88 percent), with 11 percent males (1 percent no response). The average age was 43, which was an increase of one year in comparison to the 2007 study, which reported an average age of 42. Approximately 33 percent have some college education. The majority of respondents (84 percent) took an independent home study course to enter the profession and used that along with their work experience to become eligible for JCAHPO’s certification. Approximately one-third of ATPO’s respondents indicated that they have supervisory responsibilities.
Geographically, 24 percent of respondents came from the Southeast, 22 percent from the Midwest, 16 percent from both the Northeast and South Central regions; 18 percent from the West; and 3 percent from outside the United States. Thirty-six percent of the respondents were from metropolitan areas with populations between 50,000 and 249,000. Only 18 percent of respondents came from cities with populations of less than 50,000. The remaining 46 percent came from populations of 250,000 and up.
Almost half (48 percent) of the sample indicated that they were employed in a private practice, with the greatest number indicating that they were employed in cataract practices (26 percent) and general practices (26 percent) out of a total of nine subspecialty areas. Approximately 20 percent of respondents reported two to five ophthalmologists in the practice where they work; 17 percent work in practices with only one ophthalmologist. The remainder of the respondents indicated six or more ophthalmologists in the practice.
Survey Results
Respondents’ salary data are presented in the results as either an hourly wage or an annual salary, corresponding to the individual respondents’ compensation plan. The following table summarizes the data for the various certification levels.
| Certification Level | Number of Responses | Percentage | Average Annual Salary | Average Hourly Wage |
| COA | 1,352 | 63% | $47,881 | $18.60 |
| COT | 639 | 30% | $56,623 | $21.98 |
| COMT | 159 | 7% | $67,578 | $28.70 |
Note: The sample population reporting annual salaries is separate and distinct from the respondents reporting hourly wages. There is no correspondence between the two figures.
Experience is another important variable for comparison. ATPO’s study shows that the hourly wage for COAs with less than two years’ experience averaged $15.57. COTs with less than two years’ experience indicated an average hourly wage of $20.45, while the hourly rate for COMTs with less than two years’ experience was $28.12.
For purposes of comparison, the 2007 survey showed that a total of 1,269 COAs reported an average annual salary of $43,567, and an average hourly wage of $17.54. COT respondent data from 715 individuals showed that average annual salary was $52,128 and the average hourly wage was $20.65. At the COMT level, 165 respondents reported an average annual wage of $64,895 and an average hourly wage of $25.70. Therefore, salary increases were shown across all certification level categories.
Discussion
As a general observation, and consistent with ATPO’s studies over time, each progressive level of certification is compensated at an increasingly higher salary range. In almost all comparisons of the variables with certification levels, salaries (hourly and annually) at each certification level increased. In addition, salary and compensation decisions are influenced by other factors, including experience, advanced education or training, the ability to take greater responsibility with more difficult patients and eye conditions, and the ability to perform supervisory duties. Compensation also increases with metropolitan size and varies by region: OMP in the Northeast and West have similar levels of compensation, while OMP in the Midwest, South Central, and Southeast regions earn slightly less.
This study also dispels the common perception that certified ophthalmic technical staff have a high rate of turnover. The average number of years in the profession was reported to be 16 years, and the respondents indicated that they had an average of only 2.11 employer changes throughout their career. In addition, the data show that the average number of years in the current position was 8.39, and that the average number of years with the current employer was 9.43. These data clearly show a high level of career stability among certified respondents.
Although this article does not discuss the monetary value of benefits received, ATPO’s report has important findings on the benefits received by ophthalmic technical staff. The study discussed benefits ranging from vacation, health insurance, life insurance, parking and liability insurance to home health care. In addition, ATPO survey data also included the percentage of OMP who are eligible for continuing education and certification benefits. Frequency of performance reviews and raises was also reported.
Conclusion
While many practices may feel caught between increasing costs and stagnant or falling reimbursement, the retention of well-trained and experienced staff can be one of the most valuable keys to practice efficiency. The ATPO study shows that certified OMP are compensated at levels commensurate with their level of training and experience, and they are loyal to their practices, as demonstrated by their stable employment histories. It is to the mutual benefit of practices and employees to develop salary and compensation policies that are fair to both employee and employer.
Maintaining this balance can be challenging, however, especially in uncertain economic times. One important key to developing such a plan is a good understanding of the employment marketplace and salary trends in relation to an employee’s skills. Careful analysis of such information and open discussion can help create an environment where employees feel valued, thereby enhancing employee retention and career satisfaction.
Resources and Studies Available
If you wish to review in depth the studies mentioned in this article, ATPO members can purchase the 2009 Salary & Benefits National Report for $20; nonmember price is $45. To buy the survey, contact ATPO at 800-482-4858 or www.atpo.org, or go to www.jcahpo.org.
About the authors:
Lynn Anderson, PhD, is the chief executive officer of the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology Inc. (JCAHPO). She is responsible for the management of four NCCA-accredited ophthalmic medical personnel certifications and continuing education services for Canada and the United States. She has been with JCAHPO since 1998 and has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting, a master’s degree in business marketing education, and a PhD in education from the University of Minnesota.
William Ehlers, MD, is the president of JCAHPO. Currently, he is also an associate professor at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska College of Medicine, completed his residency at the Medical College of Hampton Roads/Virginia, Eastern Virginia Medical School of Ophthalmology, and completed a Cornea Fellowship. He is past president of the Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists and the Connecticut Society of Eye Physicians.
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